Role of the Companions

The Companions ushered in a revolution in human history that brought an end to the age of nature worship and brought in the age of God worship. All the far-reaching changes made in human history after that were the direct or indirect result of this revolution.

The history of the Companions, which goes back for more than a thousand years, began with Hajira, the mother of Ishmael. The well-known saying: ‘There is a woman at the beginning of all great things,’ certainly applies to Hajira.

The extraordinary race, the Ishmaelites, was founded due to Hajira’s sacrifice. Those exceptional people, known as the Companions of the Prophet, belonged to this race. What was the role in the history of the Companions of the Prophet?

A tradition of the Prophet throws light on the uniqueness of this role. On the occasion of the Battle of Badr (2 AH), the Prophet raised his hands and prayed on behalf of his companions: “O God, if this group of believers, al-Isaba, are killed, no one will be there to worship You on this earth.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1763)

Al-Isaba refers to the group of Companions who, after the sacrifice of Hajira, also played an epoch-making role by making pleasing sacrifices. Due to the extraordinary role of the Companions, a revolution was set in motion in human history. The Belgian historian, Henri Pirenne (d. 1935), says of this revolution:

“Islam changed the face of the globe. The traditional order of history was overthrown.” (Henri Pirenne, A History of Europe, London, 1958, p. 46)

A significant change brought about by the sacrifices of the Companions was that the age of nature worship ended for the first time in human history. And the age of God-worship was ushered in. All the far-reaching changes made in human history in later centuries were the direct or indirect result of this revolution based on monotheism.